Arizona closer Tony Pluta was named the Big 12 baseball Scholar-Athlete of the Year on Tuesday.
Pluta was one of two Wildcats to make second-team All-Big 12, along with junior shortstop Mason White.
Arizona reliever Tony Pluta (37) unwinds a pitch as he works the bottom of the ninth for his 11th save against TCU on May 2, 2025, at Hi Corbett Field.
Right-hander Smith Bailey was named to the All-Freshman Team.
Four other UA players — right-hander Owen Kramkowski, catcher Adonys Guzman and outfielders Brendan Summerhill and Aaron Walton — earned honorable-mention accolades.
Despite Arizona finishing in fourth place in the Big 12 and having several players among the league leaders in individual categories, no Wildcats earned first-team honors.
Pluta enters the Big 12 Baseball Championship, which begins Wednesday in Arlington, Texas, leading the league with 11 saves. Pluta has a 1.65 ERA and a 0.80 WHIP. In conference play, those numbers are 0.61 and .085. He allowed only one run in 14⅔ innings in Big 12 games.
Pluta, who’s from Palatine, Illinois, is majoring in aerospace engineering. He has a 3.92 GPA.
Arizona shortstop Mason White, left, tags out Utah runner Cameron Gurney on a pinpoint throw on a stolen base attempt in the seventh inning of their Big 12 game May 9, at Hi Corbett Field.
White ranks third in the Big 12 in RBIs (59) and second in triples (seven). The shortstop from Salpointe Catholic High School has a team-high 13 home runs to go along with a .315 batting average. He also has played well defensively, ranking fifth in the league in assists (148) and tied for fifth in double plays turned (34).
Bailey, a true freshman from Glendale Mountain Ridge, has a 2-3 record with a 4.52 ERA as Arizona’s No. 3 starter. Bailey has struck out 62 batters in 65⅔ innings while starting the third game of every weekend series for the Wildcats.
Kramkowski, a sophomore from Walden Grove High School, leads Arizona and is tied for third in the Big 12 with seven wins. The right-hander, who recently moved into the No. 1 spot in the rotation, has a 7-5 record with a 5.45 ERA. He has 67 strikeouts in 72⅔ innings and ranks 24th nationally in fewest walks allowed per nine innings (1.61).
Guzman, a semifinalist for the Buster Posey Award, is in the midst of a career year at the plate. Guzman is batting .309 with 10 doubles, six home runs and 34 RBIs. He also has thrown out 16 would-be best stealers, the most by a UA catcher since Cesar Salazar in 2018 (also 16).
Arizona right-hander Smith Bailey delivers a pitch at Houston on Saturday, May 17. Bailey allowed only one run in six innings as the Wildcats defeated the Cougars 8-1.
Summerhill undoubtedly would have made the first or second team had he not missed significant time because of injuries. The junior from Chicago is slashing .390/.500/.642 in 33 games. He’d rank third in the Big 12 in batting average and on-base percentage if he had enough appearances to qualify.
Summerhill has 10 doubles, six triples and 31 RBIs. He also has almost twice as many walks (27) as strikeouts (15).
Walton, in his first season at Arizona after transferring from Samford, is batting .317 with 60 runs scored (fifth most in the Big 12), 18 doubles, 10 home runs and 18 stolen bases (tied for eighth most).
Cincinnati’s Kerrington Cross was named Big 12 Player of the Year, while Houston’s Antoine Jean was named Pitcher of the Year. Other award winners: Kansas’ Dan Fitzgerald (Coach of the Year), TCU’s Sawyer Strosnider (Freshman of the Year), Arizona State’s Matt King and Oklahoma State’s Harrison Bodendorf (co-Newcomers of the Year).
Arizona received a bye into the quarterfinals of the conference tournament and will play its first game at 7 a.m. Thursday at Globe Life Field. The UA will face the winner of the ASU-BYU game, slated for 7 a.m. Wednesday.
For a complete list of the Big 12’s baseball honorees, click here.(tncms-inline)be4c524d-2fd5-4aa8-9411-e6bdf0999523[0](/tncms-inline)
